The Secret Battle: Emotional Survival in the Great War

(Paperback)

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What did home mean to British soldiers and how did it help them to cope with the psychological strains of the Great War Family relationships lie at the heart of this book. It explores the contribution letters and parcels from home played in maintaining the morale of this largely young, amateur army. And it shows how soldiers, in their turn, sought to adapt domestic habits to the trenches. Pursuing the unconscious clues within a rich collection of letters and memoirs with the help of psychoanalytical ideas, including those formulated by the veteran tank commander Wilfred Bion, this study asks fundamental questions about the psychological resources of this generation of young men. It reveals how the extremities of battle exposed the deepest emotional ties of childhood, and went on marking the post-war domestic lives of those who returned. -- .

Reviews

'Roper has not only written a highly readable, riveting account of certain emotions at war, but has also contributed something very new to the history of warfare generally. There is simply nothing else like this book currently in the field. It will serve as a model upon which further research is conducted.' Professor Joanna Bourke, Birkbeck College

Author Bio

Michael Roper is Senior Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Essex.